Air Operations, Bismarcks

V Bomber Command B-25s attack Kentengi Anchorage.

Air Operations, CBI

• 11th Medium Bomb Squadron B-25s attack port facilities and warehouses and Swatow, and mount anti-shipping strikes in the South China Sea.

Air Operations, Europe

• 266 aircraft are sent to Leverkusen. Included in this total are 170 Halifaxes, 86 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitos of Nos. 3, 4, 6 and 8 Groups.
• Failures of equipment prevents most of the Oboe marking to be carried out and other Pathfinder are unable to mark the target accurately because of bad weather conditions. As a result, the bombs are scattered over a wide area mostly north of Leverkusen. 27 towns record bomb hits, Leverkusen reports only 1 bomb hit in the town.
• 4 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling are lost.

• 6 Mosquitos are sent to Duisburg, 2 to Rheinhausen, 25 aircraft lay mines off the Biscay ports and there are 11 OTU sorties.
• There are no losses.
• Many of the aircraft returning from operations encounter fog conditions on reaching England and 2 Halifaxes and 1 Stirling crash, but 4 Halifaxes of No. 35 Squadron lands safely at Graveley when the first operational use is made of the oil-burning fog dispersal equipment called FIDO (Fog Investigation Dispersal Operation), which had been installed at Graveley airfield. Several other airfields will soon be fitted with this useful device.

• Although briefed to attack Gelsenkirchen, bad weather and the failure of the Oboe equipment aboard 6 pathfinder B-17s oblige 130 of 157 3rd Bomb Division B-17s to scatter 281 tons of bombs on many targets of opportunity on both sides of the German-Netherlands frontier. Failure of the Oboe equipment on this mission puts its use to an end as primary guidance on high-altitude bombing missions. Its use is transferred to the 9th Air Force, whose medium-altitude work does not interfere with the Oboe guidance technique. 8th Air Force falls back on H2S and H2X airborne ground-radar equipment, which provides much better results for high-altitude work.
• 288 VIII Fighter Command P-47s provide escort and support for the B-17s.

• NATAF A-36s and P-40s attack bridges near Cassino and Pontecorvo, trucks and trains near Rieti, and German Army strongpoints around Barrea.

• NATAF aircraft attack trains and trucks around Metkovic.

Air Operations, Gilberts

• 30 VII Bomber Command B-24s join US warships in the bombardment of Japanese positions in Tarawa and Makin atolls, and on Nauru Island. Task Group 50.4 carrier aircraft attack Nauru, Task Group 50.3 carrier aircraft attack Tarawa Atoll with 69 tons of bombs, and Task Group 50.2 carrier aircraft attack Makin Atoll.
• A VF-9 F6F downs 1 G4M 'Betty' bomber near Tarawa Atoll at 0550 hours. 4 VF-2 F6Fs down 1 E8N 'Dave' reconnaissance seaplane near Makin Atoll at 0830 hours. 4 VF-22 F6Fs 1 'Betty' at sea at 0830 hours. 1 VF-60 F6F downs an H8K 'Emily' flying boat at sea at 0945 hours. 1 VF-18 F6F downs 1 'Betty' near Tarawa Atoll at 1040 hours. 2 VF-9 F6Fs down 1 'Betty' at sea at 1455 hours. VF-23 F6Fs down 2 A6M Zeros over Nauru at 1555 hours.

Air Operations, Marshalls

Task Group 50.1 carrier aircraft attack the Mille airfield and flying boats and floatplane fighters moored in the Jaluit Atoll.

Air Operations, New Guinea

Approximately 30 V Bomber Command B-25s and B-26s attack Japanese Army ground positions around Sattelberg. 3rd Light Bomb Group A-20s attack Finschhafen.

Air Operations, Solomons

10 42nd Medium Bomb Group B-25s attack the Ballale airfield and Matchin Bay.

Battle of the Atlantic

• 2 3,000-ton freighters, the British Penolver and the American De Lisle, sink within 17 minutes of each other after striking mines off St John's, Newfoundland. 14 crewmen of the British ship are picked up by the US vessel and then rescued again, establishing a dubious record of having survived 2 ship sinkings within half an hour.
• U-211 is sunk by Wellington 'F' of No 179 Squadron RAF. A radar contack is reported and the aircraft, flying ahead of combined Convoyes SL-139/MKS-30, investigates. Four depth charges are dropped on either side of the submarine destroying it.

U-211

Bougainville

The Japanese roadblock on the Numa Numa Trail is captured by the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, using light tanks. The 145th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Infantry Division arrives, along with the 135th, 136th, and 140th Artillery Battalions.

Central Pacific

US carrier aircraft raid Mili, Tarawa, Makin and Nauru in preparation for the coming landings. Four carrier groups are involved from Adm Pownall's Task Force 50 which includes 11 carriers, 4 battleships and 6 cruisers.

China

In the siege of Changteh the Chinese 57th Div defends the city against superior Japanese forces until December 3. Only 300 Chinese survive.

Eastern Front

The Germans move in to take Zhitomir as the Soviets realize their danger and retreat.

Italy

The Germans withdraw the last of their forces north of the Sangro. Although 8th Army also has troops north of the Sangro they hold only very little ground and a major, formal attack will be necessary to expand their tiny enclaves.

Mediterranean

The British submarine Simoon sinks in the Dardanelles Approach, probably on a mine, with the loss of the entire crew of 48.

Pacific

• The US submarine Sculpin (SS-191) is sunk by destroyer gunfire from Yamagumo about 150 miles north of Truk, Carolines.
• The US submarine Harder (SS-257) attacks a Japanese convoy escorted by escort vessel Fukue and destroyer Yuzuki, sinking the transports Hokko Maru (5385t) and Udo Maru (3936t) north of Guam.

Scenes from November 19, 1943

USS Robalo (SS-273)

Churchill Inspecting Damage on Malta

RAF Truck Transporting a P-47

New Zealand Soldiers with Italian Children

Panther Tanks Near Fastiv

Tigers in the Mud near Vinnitsa